Sweethearts on the Hill

Boys... And lizards... Charlie loves lizards. All my boys do. What a thrill it is to find one and to apply all the sneaky, stealthy skills you've acquired over the years to actually catch it.  My kids have skills... Just sayin'. On this particular day, Charlie found himself in a precarious position. A lizard crossed his path and hid beneath a 1,000 pound Sony Wega television we had sitting on the garage floor awaiting it's next transition in life. Unphased by obstacles (or logic), Charlie decided to go after it... He tilted the TV forward... just slightly... to get the lizard to come out.   No can do.  Not with a 1000 pound TV, that is forward heavy from the immense glass in the front of it.   The TV fell and Charlie tried to protect it.  His finger was smashed beneath it... This was the outcome... His fingernail was torn and lifted up from the bed. It was pretty horrifying... Our friend, Jenny Quinley, who is an ER physician at Parkwest...

Richie took the boys over to his mom's house in Paris for a week this summer - which left me in a quiet, clean house for 5 days straight (I know, right?!)  But that is so not the point of this little story. The point is that they fished. A whole lot. And this is what summertime memories should look like for daddies and their little boys. And I'm a lucky girl because this is what my boys' daddy makes summertime memories look like for them.

Now that Richie is home with the kids a whole lot, there are certain weeks when it becomes clear that he needs a much deserved break. When that happens, I try to use it as an opportunity to take the kids on an adventure - which often results in a visit to the mountains. On this particular day, we took Luke on his first big boy hike to Laurel Falls.  He did great! And we had a spectacular day. I love this picture of Charlie sitting near the falls writing on his new chalkboard There was another day we went to the Y We discovered these cool rock towers all around... and then made some of our own Love our little adventures away

One of the cool things about being the youngest of 3 boys (by 6 years) is that you get to do a whole bunch of big boy stuff when you're really young. One of the not cool things about it is that you never really get to do little boy stuff...   But on this day we made an exception and Luke got to be little.   We went to Build a Bear. Luke picked out his very own little buddy and gave him a heart. He named him Henry - and he got to bring him home.   I think he kinda likes being a little boy sometimes too!

We left Leland and headed south down the coast of Lake Michigan to see Brandy.  It makes my heart swell when I see our boys (little boys and big boys) come together as if they are all a part of each others' every day lives. When you've shared the life Brandy and I have, there is a remarkable connection that somehow pulls in those closest to us. There are no words to describe what I mean - it's just something that exists... something that is destined to be. We spent an entire day at Brandy's beach  It was a little muddy and tiny bit cold and a whole lotta breathtaking and beautiful Oh, the smiles... We watched as they played... We drank wine... and relaxed... An all was right in the world We had a lovely breakfast together the morning we left - and the kids continued to be the best of friends in that moment This is us... ... and all our boys in Saugatuck

People who live there know that there is something indescribably special about summertime in Michigan. I can only guess that it comes from the deep appreciation of sunshine and warm weather that is built up during the long, harsh, grey winters... but that is probably only part of it. There really is something about those summer days... the breeze blowing through your windows at night... the blue skies during the day... the stars in the sky... the wildflowers... the sunshine... the lush green landscape. It's something special to take in. We decided to take our family there this past summer to indulge in the beauty. We went "up north" to Leland, in the Leelanau Peninsula, which allowed us to explore much of what northwest Michigan has to offer... Traverse City, sand dunes, canoeing, and of course Lake Michigan. This is the little cottage where we stayed - it was dreamy... We rarely stay in hotels anymore when we travel. We find these charming places that typically ad...